


Blooms in Ice

by kazokuhouou



Series: Blooms in Ice verse [1]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, M/M, Rivalry, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:27:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28153083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazokuhouou/pseuds/kazokuhouou
Summary: Every contract had it. A Soulmate clause.
Relationships: Miscellaneous pairing mentioned, Patrick Roy/Joe Sakic
Series: Blooms in Ice verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2129241
Comments: 3
Kudos: 47





	Blooms in Ice

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Restricted Work] by [BurntRhubbargh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurntRhubbargh/pseuds/BurntRhubbargh). Log in to view. 



> Shamelessly inspired by and technically takes place in the same universe as my dear dear friend BurntRhubbargh's F1/Indycar fic [Late Bloomer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26837137/chapters/65475502), who gives permission to do so.

Every contract had it. A Soulmate Clause.

Everyone, when they met their soulmate, would feel an itch and see vines appear on their arm, with a flower blooming at the top. (Occasionally, there would be a second flower sprouted if the person had two soulmates, but this was rare.) It was fairly common for soulmates to find each other on the same team.

It wasn’t _un_ common for soulmates to find each other on different teams. Many of them didn’t mind that. It made them appreciate the times they _did_ have together, it lowered the risk of distraction, and there was always retirement to be together. If the Great One could deal with his soulmate being on literally the other side of the continent, they could deal.

Some, however, choose not to deal with it. That’s where the clause comes in. At any time before the trade deadline, the player can invoke the clause and demand a trade to their soulmate’s team. If the marks match and the bond is proved valid, the player’s team has no choice but to trade them. (Often, the recipient team uses this to their advantage by dumping underperforming or problem players on the other team.)

This is rarely invoked, though, again, because many soulmates are already on the same team or would prefer the adversity.

 _Rarely_ invoked.

0-0-0-0-0-

_30 November 1989, Quebec City_

It wasn’t until he pulled away from the celebration for Lucien’s goal (his assist) that he felt an itch on his arm. He scratched at it until he got to the bench. The itch just would not go away so he took off a glove and lifted his sleeve. 

He froze. Vines. His wristguard was in the way of the flower but those were vines.

It hadn’t been anyone on his team, the vines would have shown up sooner. It wasn’t any of the skaters on the other team, it also would have shown up sooner. The only person he had gotten close enough to recently is…

Joe looked up and nearly had a panic attack. The Habs goalie.

“Joe?” Paul, next to him, said, looking at him with worry. “You’re pale.”

He hastily pulled his sleeve down. “I’m fine.”

When the period ended he lingered, letting the others go ahead of him, so he could get a look at the goalie skating up. He saw Patrick pause at the door, looking at Joe, before going down the Habs’ tunnel. Joe felt a pull. He thought that thing about ‘soulmates feeling when they’re close or far away to each other’ thing was bunk.

“Joe?” Paul asked again. “Everything okay?”

“I don’t know,” he said truthfully.

0-0-0-0-0-0

His arm itched like _crazy_.

Patrick pulled off his helmet first, then started pulling off the gear on his hand so he could scratch it. He did the best he could in between plays but not with the glove in his hand. He pulled up his sleeve.

Oh.

That was new.

Patrick stared down at the vines on his arm, ending in a small bunch of milkweed flowers. He hadn’t had his mark when he went out on the ice initially…

He briefly thought of the Nordique looking at him intently as he came to the bench. It couldn’t be...could it?

“Hey, when did you get your mark?” Brian asked. “Who’s the soulmate!”

“Noneofyourbusiness!” he said quickly, covering it up and putting his gear back on. It wasn’t possible. His soulmate wasn’t a _Nordique_. He could ignore this.

That longing pull as they drove away to go back to Montreal? Definitely just car sickness and not him feeling his soulmate get farther away from him.

Right?

0-0-0-0-0-

_18 January 1990, Pittsburgh_

Everyone couldn’t help smirking at each other as Mario breezed through the introductions and brief talk for the Wales team. They all knew what was up. Everyone knew of the hollyhocks on Mario and Wayne’s arms and they knew both of them were just itching to get in the same room together; they hadn’t had a chance to be with each other since October.

Patrick was starting to get that. He felt antsy ever since he stepped into the room.

He knew his soulmate was here and there was only one Nordique here.

Joe Sakic.

At least the age difference isn’t too bad. Patrick thought he wouldn’t have taken it well if there was a large age gap between the two of them.

A _Nordique_ , though. And did he have to stare at him the whole meeting?

He flinched when everyone started getting up, the meeting over, to go do other things. Mario was first out the door, of course, to catcalls from Paul.

Patrick soon followed. If he and Joe were going to have this conversation it would NOT happen in front of his fellow Habs.

It wasn’t long before he heard the knock on his door. He took a deep breath and answered.

He stared at Joe for a bit, and Joe stared back. “I think you know why I’m here,” he said, lifting up his sleeve to reveal the same milkweed flowers on his arm.

“Yeah.” He let Joe in and they sat on the bed. They just looked at each other.

“When you last left Quebec City, did it feel like half your heart stayed there? Cause it felt like half of mine got on that bus to Montreal.”

“Yeah. Hate admitting it, but yeah.”

Joe lied back on the bed. “This is a mess, isn’t it.”

“Sure is. Two players on bitter enemies, soulmates. The entire province would lose their minds, and half of them would demand you get traded far away, and the other would push for one of us to invoke the soulmate clause.”

“I’m not ready for that,” Joe admitted. “I barely know you.”

Patrick nodded in agreement. “We might not even work out.” Though they both knew the odds were greater that they would have a second soulmate than a soulmate bond breaking. “If we keep quiet, we could get to know each other first, before making any big decisions. I can come to you in Quebec City, or you can come to Montreal. If we’re careful, no one needs to know.” Not everyone was public about their soulmates like the Great and Magnifcent Ones were.

Joe sat up. “Yeah. That’d be all right.” He got up. “I should go rest. The weekend’s going to be long.” Quickly he bent down to kiss Patrick before leaving. 

Patrick touched his lips. Oh...now he really got when they mean by the soulmate bond.

0-0-0-0-0

_19 January, 1991, Chicago_

It was disappointing to lose. Of course it was. 

But let’s be honest, any excuse to drink, right? 

Patrick was indulging, of course, and he was talking to Ray when he felt someone drape himself on the goaltender. 

He turned his head to look at the grinning face of Joe. 

“You know the drinking age is 21 here right?” Ray told him, frowning.

“You’re such a dad, Ray,” Patrick said.

Joe didn’t respond to either of them, just nuzzling Patrick. Patrick turned red. Of all the times for him to be an affectionate drunk.

“I think it’s time to go, Sakic. I’ll help you to your room.”

“Perhaps I should help,” Ray butted in. “He looks like he’s about to fall asleep.”

As much as Patrick didn’t want to admit it, he had a point. The two of them walked Joe toward the elevator.

Joe nuzzled him again as they got in and it went up. Patrick couldn’t help smiling and lifting a hand to hold Joe’s. He saw Ray’s eyes widen. Belatedly, he noticed his sleeve had fallen enough that his flower was visible...and Joe was in short sleeves anyway.

“Soulmates? You two?”

“Yeah. Don’t tell either of our teams. It’d get ugly and we’re taking it slow.”

“Promise.” He helped Patrick get Joe to his room. “Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, I’m not going to do anything to him until he’s ready.”

“Don’t go, Patty,” Joe mumbled sleepily. 

“I won’t go, we’ll cuddle together.”

He glared at Ray giggling. “You two are cute.”

“Never say that again.” He lied down because that was the only way Joe would lie down too. 

“Should I check on you two in the morning?”

“No I think we’ll be fine. He’ll be hungover but we’ll be fine.”

0-0-0-0-0-0

Joe groaned. Ugh, he drank too much.

“You know, this wasn’t how I imagined the first time us sleeping together,” he heard a voice tease.

Joe looked up and saw Patrick grinning at him. “How much did I embarrass myself.”

“Not much.” He stroked the center’s hair. “But Bourque knows about us now.” He stroked Joe’s head again when Joe had a moment of panic. “He won’t say a word.”

“Oh.” He lied down again, head on Patrick’s chest. “This is nice.”

“Yeah. It is.”

0-0-0-0-0-0

_22 December, 1992, Montreal_

It was early, so Joe tried to be quiet as he let himself in with the key Patrick gave him. He was expecting him in a couple days so they could have Christmas together, but Joe was done until after the Christmas break. Why not now?

He left his stuff near the entrance and headed to the bedroom. Quietly taking off his shoes, so he didn’t wake him, he crawled onto the bed and on top of Patrick, beginning to kiss him.

Patrick sleepily kissed him before his brain woke up and he gasped. “Joe!”

“Hi.”

“You’re early!”

“I didn’t want to wait. We’re apart enough.” He kissed him again.

Patrick wrapped his arms around Joe to pull him closer. “I missed you.”

“We’ve been busy.”

“I know. We’re both doing well, and look at you! Sole captain!”

Even as he said it though, he felt a stab of pain in his heart, and he knew Joe felt it too. One of the things Patrick loved about his soulmate was his loyalty...and it was this same loyalty that was going to keep them apart. Joe was captain of the Nordiques. He’d never invoke the clause now.

And Patrick didn’t know if he’d ever reach a point where he’d want to leave Montreal.

They smiled at each other ruefully before Patrick sat up. “I’ll make breakfast before I go to practice. Do you plan on watching the game here?”

“Yeah. Tongues would wag if they saw me at the Forum. Someday, though. I’ll come and cheer on the man I love.”

Patrick’s eyes widened. “That’s the first time you said that.”

“Yeah...” he looked away, blushing. 

Patrick smiled. “I love you too.”

0-0-0-0-0-0  
_9 June 1993, Montreal_

Sure, everyone was celebrating the Cup win, but only the young and unattached really had the desire to go all night with is, especially since the parade was tomorrow.

Patrick, naturally, was no exception. He got home and let himself in, smiling when he saw Joe dozing on the couch, tv still on.

He had been wearing one of Patrick’s jerseys.

He startled awake when Patrick accidentally knocked over an empty can trying to turn off the tv.

“Sorry, I didn’t...”

“PATRICK!” He pulled Patrick on top of him, making them both ‘oof’ as he landed on Joe. “You won! I’m so proud of you!” He punctuated that with kisses.

He grinned and kissed back. “You saw it?”

“Of course I did. Just because my team lost doesn’t mean I don’t care. I just wish I had been there in person.”

“I don’t know. I think if I saw you in this...” Patrick said, fingering the collar of the jersey, “I’d be too aroused to lead the team to a cup.”

Joe’s breath hitched. “Oh?”

“Yeah. You look...quite alluring.” He pressed against Joe. “I wonder how you’d look if this was all you wore.”

“Oh...” He pressed up so Patrick could feel how aroused he was. Patrick began to kiss him more ardently as he reached for his jeans.

Joe threw his head back so Patrick could kiss down his neck. “Should we...”

“Yeah. Bed.”

As they stumbled to bed Patrick took off his clothes, leaving them strewn wherever they fell. He crawled onto the bed and they resumed making out, moaning and groping each other. Blindly Patrick reached into his bedside drawer to get the lube. He began to prepare the younger man, who sighed at his careful touch. 

Soon enough he felt Joe was ready, coated his cock in lube, and pushed in. He had planned to take it slow, but seeing his lover writhing in anticipation drove him wild and he began to go quickly. Joe, for his part, moaned into his shoulder, scratching down the goalie’s back as they fucked.

Before long, Joe came, biting down on Patrick’s shoulder, getting it all over his stomach. Patrick followed soon after, barely remembering to pull out before collapsing on Joe.

They kissed lazily before slumber overtook themselves.

0-0-0–0-0

“What’s that?” Eric asked. 

“What’s what?” Patrick said as they waited for the parade to begin.

“That,” he said, poking at the bite mark that was barely visible on his collar. The blush on Patrick’s face said it all.

“Your soulmate’s a bit of a wildcat, huh?” Mike teased.

“You can say that.”

0-0-0-0-0

_1 July 1995, Quebec City_

“Colorado, huh?” Patrick had said by way of greeting. They talked on the phone so often they didn’t need to say hi anymore.

Joe sighed. “Yeah. The rivalry is dead.” They were both silent for a bit. “I can’t invoke it. I can’t abandon my team.”

“I wouldn’t want you to at this point.” He heard Patrick sigh. “I’m...starting to be unhappy here. They aren’t the team I won cups with anymore. And I’m missing you more and more the time we spend apart. I don’t know how Mario and Wayne do it all these years.”

“Are...are you...” 

“Not yet. Relocating is going to be chaotic enough for you without dealing with the circus that would ensue.” It was always a big deal when the soulmate clause was invoked, not least since this was usually the first time people found out about a couple. “One more season with the Habs.”

0-0-0-0-0-0

_2 December 1995, Montreal_

“This is my last game in Montreal.”

Ronald looked horrified as Patrick sat down.

He knew they planned to wait, but he can’t anymore. If he and Mario stay on the same team, one of them would end up in jail and the other dead. 

It was time to go to Joe.

0-0-0-0

The rest of the Habs looked at each other as the upper management convened behind a door, no doubt to discuss what to do with Patrick.

Mike was first to speak. “Patrick, we’re sorry.”

Patrick shook his head. “It was just a bad day for you guys. It’s Mario who humiliated me. But it ends now. I’ve asked for a trade.”

They looked disappointed but not surprised. “We’ll miss you. You know they’ll send you to a worse team.”

“Not if I invoke the soulmate clause.”

“ _Oh._ ” Everyone’s eyes widened.

“It’s high time I join Joe in Colorado.”

“Wait, _Sakic_ Joe?!”

“You were banging a Nordique?!”

“Oh like none of you fantasized about it,” Patrick quipped.

0-0-0-

“You don’t have to come, Mike,” Patrick told him. “I can handle myself.”

“They asked me to. I think they think I’ll put you in your place. I’d sooner ask for a trade myself than do so.”

They both entered, followed by the NHL official, and sat down.

In all honesty, Patrick had mostly tuned out all their ranting. His mind was made up anyway.

“Even if you begged us to keep you at this point, you humiliated this team so much by your poor performance and antagonizing of Mario that we don’t _want_ you anymore. Maybe in San Jose you’ll learn some humility.”

“No.”

“What?”

“You’re trading me to Colorado.”

“You arrogant little...”

“I invoke the soulmate clause.”

That got the NHL official to perk up, this meeting finally interesting, while Ronald, Réjean, Mario all paled. “WHAT?!?!?”

“He has a right to do so,” Mike pointed out. “And I agree with him.”

They glared at Mike. “You’re just trying to weasel out of this.”

Patrick lifted up his sleeve so they could see his mark of milkweed. “Joe Sakic. It’s Joe Sakic.”

“Him?!”

The NHL official was already reaching for his phone to get a photographer and a courier. “Contact Colorado.”

0-0-0–0-0-0

_3 December 1995, Denver_

Joe’s head shot up when he heard his phone ring. Who on earth was calling him this early in the morning?

He trudged to the phone. “Hello?”

“Joe. It’s Pierre. Come down here immediately.”

“What? Why?”

“You’ll find out when you get here.” Pierre hung up.

Joe dressed and drove to the arena. He frowned. What on earth was going on?

He was greeted by Pierre, Marc, a tired courier, and a couple NHL officials. “Lift your sleeve,” one official said brusquely.

Confused, Joe did so. The officials pulled out photographs. Joe saw the photographs had pictures of someone’s arm, and the officials began scrutinizing his arm and the pictures. He knew this was leading to something but he was still too tired to process it.

“It’s a match,” one of the officials finally said. “The trade is on.”

Trade?

Marc’s eyes widened while Pierre grinned like the cat that caught the canary. “Joseph Steven Sakic, I could kiss you!”

“What’s going on?”

“Patrick Roy invoked the soulmate clause,” Marc said evenly.

 _Oh_.

Joe blushed, now that the cat was out of the bag. “He was going to wait until next season.”

“Did you watch his game last night?”

“I turned it off after four goals. I thought they would pull him.”

“They left him out for _nine_.” Joe was momentarily angry on his soulmate’s behalf. “He invoked after the game. We’ve been discussing our response while waiting for the courier with pictures of Patrick’s mark to compare to yours.” Joe looked down at his milkweed mark. “We’re trading for Patrick Roy.” Marc sat down, watching Pierre deciding who to get rid of. “Never thought I would say that.”

“Pierre is going to fleece them.”

“Let him."

They heard tinny screaming. The NHL official, while they were talking, had reached Montreal and confirmed that Patrick had a case. Montreal reacted so badly the official had to pull the phone away.

“Doesn’t matter what you think of it. It’s a match. You are obligated to trade him.”

0–0-0-00

_6 December 1995, Montreal_

“We trade Patrick Roy and Mike Keane for Jocelyn Thibault, Andrei Kovalenko, and Martin Ručinský. Roy has invoked the soulmate clause and it is confirmed his mate is Joe Sakic, so under the current rules of the NHL we are obligated to trade him.”

Didn’t matter. Everyone in Montreal knew they got robbed of their star goaltender.

_Same day, Denver_

The team was watching the television at Marc’s insistence since it was involving them. Their eyes widened when they announced Patrick was traded to them. They nearly fell out when they found out it was because of Joe.

“I can’t look,” Joe murmured to Peter, head in his hands. “This is embarrassing. No wonder it’s rarely invoked.”

“It’s romantic and you know it.”

He barely listened to Patrick’s speech, though he caught the end. “In the end, I no longer belonged in Montreal. And to be fair, half of me had been in Quebec City, and then Denver the whole time. It’s time to become whole again.”

“Awwwww.”

“PETER!”

“AWWWWWWWWWW.” The rest of the team joined in. Peter was a bad influence.

“Enough!”

They finally gave him a break after that. 

Hours later, they were practicing for tomorrow’s game, starting to wind down. Joe was talking to the Adams when Foote nudged him and pointed to the bench.

Joe dropped his stick and skated over.

“Hi Joe,” Patrick said. Joe reached over the bench and hugged him. Patrick smiled and hugged him back.

Claude skated by. “No hanky-panky on the ice!”

“CLAUDE!”

“Yeah, find a closet like Adam and I do.”

“DEADMARSH!”

He could feel Patrick laughing into his shoulder as the team gently chirped the couple to welcome Patrick to the team.

0-0-0-0

_7 March 2000, Calgary_

Ray Boruque!

Everyone was excited to greet him as their new teammate, of course, and he was excited to meet them. The young ones all rushed to meet him first, while the older guard (and geez, now he and Patrick are getting old, aren’t they?) waited by their stalls for it to die down.

Ray, for his part, was going around the room to meet everyone. Finally he stopped at Patrick’s stall, where Joe also was, sitting next to the goalie, their arms entwined so their marks were visible.

Ray grinned. “Hello again, you two. I remember when I was the only one that knew of you two.”

“Raymond...” Patrick said as warning.

“Did you know your captain is an affectionate drunk?”

“RAYMOND!” Joe flushed scarlet.

Peter laughed. “Yeah, Ray’s gonna fit in this team just fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> We are most definitely ignoring the 'coaching' thing.
> 
> Worldbuilding that I couldn't fit into the fic:
> 
> 1\. Soulmates can and have been split apart by trades or free agency. For the most part this is not noteworthy, as both players and teams know it's nothing personal, but because of money or position considerations. Not saying there haven't been soulmates split apart because of someone's prejudices, but it's rare and usually a scandal. As for free agency, that is usually the players' decision.
> 
> 2\. Players in the NHL who have soulmates also in the NHL are not required to disclose the identity of their soulmate, but for those that do, they're entered into a database that all teams have access to. Soulmates are taken into consideration when considering a player to sign, trade, or be traded. Would teams be willing to also sign the soulmate if he invokes the clause? Would teams that trade a player away be willing to risk losing the soulmate as well? These can all affect potential trades. Consider the following: when Sidney Crosby firmly indicated that he would follow Evgeni Malkin wherever he goes, it pretty much killed any chance the Pens had of trading him because no one could afford to field The Two Headed Monster with Orange Blossoms.
> 
> 3\. Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne have lavender blossoms. It is so.
> 
> 4\. This one is from the original fic that I couldn't fit in: when a soulmate dies, the flowers on the surviving partner(s) wither up.
> 
> 5\. Flower meanings were taken from [this page](https://www.angelfire.com/journal2/flowers/pcd6.html) if you wish to look, but I'll cover the ones discussed here:
> 
> Milkweed: hope in misery  
> Hollyhock: fruitfullness  
> Orange Blossoms: Eternal Love  
> Lavender: Devotion


End file.
